Halloween Prepping

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Denyse Schmidt at Fancy Tiger crafts. It was fascinating to hear how her crafting story unfolded, and also the business decisions she had made along the way. I love her quilts and fabrics and thoroughly enjoyed listening to her creative process.



While I was at Fancy Tiger I did a little window shopping. Which turned into actual shopping, when these beauties came home with me.  I'd been looking on Pinterest for a trick or treat tote to make for Naomi, and these fabrics are just the ticket! Loving the ouchy tooth image. Naomi got a kick out of that too!



The pattern I used is the Pocket Tote, Library Bag from Sugar Bee Crafts.  It is a great pattern - well written with clear supporting photographs (her selection of fabric is adorable too!).  I like that this is kid-sized and has some structure to it.  Naomi thinks the tote is awesome, so we have a winner!





In addition to this sewing project I've been working on a little capelet cardigan for Naomi in the fun Madeline Tosh yarn that has the 'rainbow paint splats' on it.  I am winging this one, so hoping that it works out nicely.



And of course continuing to plug away on the lace section of the rosewater shawl.  This is such a fun color for Halloween... not sure if it will be finished in time though.



Hope you are having a great weekend,
Sam
xxx

Fun Girly Poncho

Are you having a great weekend? Have you been watching, and enjoying, the start of the Olympics? We watched the opening ceremony on Friday, and then watched the swimming qualifiers, table tennis, women's soccer and the men's gymnastics yesterday.  Yes, I love watching the Olympics, and Naomi is also getting hooked... she is particularly fond of the gymnastics.  (We can't wait to see Simone Biles... and are watching the uneven bar qualifiers right now).

During the opening ceremony I was able to cast on, and finish this fun girly poncho:


The yarn is Knit Collage Gypsy Garden, in Shooting Star color way.  It is a bulky thick/thin wool and mohair yarn that has 'flair' spun into it -- glittery ribbons and colorful threads, little ribbon roses and flowers.  It really is a fun yarn!  My very thoughtful sister bought a skein for me when she was visiting the Purl Soho store in New York.  I picked up a 2nd skein on Ravelry destash to ensure that I'd have enough yardage for a project (each skein is 32 yards).


This didn't start out as a poncho,  It was intended to be a cowl.  For me.  I searched on Ravelry for a pattern that used a super bulky yarn, with less that 150 yards, and picked the Marian cowl pattern by Jane Richmond designs, which is a free Ravelry download.

At first I knit as instructed in the pattern, using a seed stitch.  However there was too much going on for my taste with the 'flair' plus the seed stitch pattern.  So I frogged and worked the cowl instructions in a simple stocking stitch.  That worked much better - you could really see the thick and thin yarn, and all the sparkles and embellishments.


I asked Naomi to model the cowl for blog photos for me, and when she tried it on it fell over her shoulders like a poncho.  She fell in love with it!  So there you have it - Momma's cowl, became a fun girly poncho for Naomi!

Wishing you a good rest of your weekend.
Love,
Sam
xxx

Rainbow socks

These little beauties have been keeping me intermittent company since June last year, when I picked up the yarn back in the UK. They have spent time with me travelling in England, Scotland, Delaware and California. Nice, simple, vanilla sock knitting for plane and train travel.



The yarn is from Zauberball and gradually changes through the colors of the rainbow. I like to knit from either side of the ball to make stripes. If you haven't used it before, the Zauberball is a great sock yarn. I have used it a couple of times now and have been really pleased with how well it holds up with plenty of wear and washes. But most of all I just love how bright and happy these colors are. 





Speaking of bright and happy, Naomi finished Kindergarten last week. It blows my mind how fast the time is flying by... how is it possible that these wee ones grow so fast? I really like the school she attends and she has some lovely teachers. And of course, end of year = teacher appreciation time. I kept it simple this year, opting for Starbucks gift cards for each of her teachers. But I couldn't completely skip the handmade element, and so quickly assembled these cards (thanks to some free printables from Bren Did).



The first couple of years in daycare and preschool I had actually made gifts for the teachers. It's hard to know how handmade gifts are received. To me, there is something special about an item that has been lovingly handcrafted, but I also recognize that it is not to everyone's taste. Now starbucks gift cards on the other hand, while arguably lacking in originality, has to be a hit, right? Always hard to know, and likely depends upon each individual recipient. (Well, there was a little side ramble :)

Hope you are having a great holiday weekend with loved ones,
Sam
xxx

Birthday Fun

It's been a fun, yet busy, week with Naomi. She turned 6 and in honor of her birthday she got to be student of the week at school, which involves a daily activity: bring a poster to school about yourself, bring someone to school to read to the class; ... you get the idea. Add to this a music performance her class was giving on Tuesday evening; 100 days at Kindergarten on Friday day, and a Spanish festival on Friday night. Yup, quite the busy week!




I hadn't heard of the 100 days of school activity prior to this year, but essentially the kindergartners get to celebrate their 100th day by dressing as though they are 100 years old.  Typically I'd go out and hunt for something, but given the hectic schedule we went searching through the closets at home. A simple dress and cardigan and a few props later, we were ready! The plastic glasses were a party giveaway, the faux pearls from a previous Christmas party, and maybe you recognize the shawl? It is the Handspun Henslow that I made many moons ago.

On top of the school activities, we've been working on the aprons for the birthday party.  That's right "we".  I can't tell you how pleased I was that Naomi wanted to play an active role in making these for her friends.  Cutting out the sleeve/pocket pattern, measuring and cutting the ribbons, and helping me stitch (sat on my lap, her hands on mine as we guide the fabric through the machine).  I was really impressed with how she got on.









The party was earlier today and they had such a wonderful time.  If you are in Colorado/Denver area, we went to Hot Pots in Littleton, and it is a great place with the most helpful staff. The space is beautifully decorated and there is room for the kiddos to be in a dedicated area of the store. I highly recommend it.


Well, time for me to put my feet up!
Hope you had a great weekend,
Sam xxx

Children's apron

It is rapidly approaching Naomi's birthday, and we have just settled on a party idea:  Pottery painting at a local studio. If you have been following me for some time you know that:
a) I love to make party favors and gifts
b) I have a tendency to leave the making of said favors and gifts to the last minute
This year is no exception!

Given the kiddos will be painting, I thought a fun apron would be a sweet thing for them to wear at the party and take home afterwards.  I found 2 strong candidates via Pinterest:
1.  Aesthetic Nest: Children's Reversible Fat Quarter Apron
2.  Brown Eyes plus Blue:  Pinafore Apron

There's something very appealing to me about the cool and utilitarian vibe of #2, and I had a vision of how this could look with the mochi mochi dots from my stash.  However Naomi preferred #1, hands down.  And what's not to love about this bright patterned apron with the whimsical details.



So, we started with a rummage through my fabric stash and found this fabulous children's print:  It is a Kokka fabric called Hello Animals by designer Nancy Wolff.  The backing will be a solid hot pink Kona cotton.  The ribbons and pom poms were picked up at Jo-Ann fabric.



I made a couple of modifications to the original pattern:
1.  I added both pockets to the 'front' of my reversible apron, and added some additional pom pom trim detail to them
2.  I did not add a button and button hole for the neck ribbon.  Instead I cut the ribbon at about 18 inches, so that it sleeps over Naomi's head.  In fairness, this is a snug fit, so I may alter the other versions to either use a velcro closure at the back of the neck, or simply add 2 lengths of ribbon that can be tied in a bow at the back of the neck.

et Voila!  I am delighted with how the prototype turned out.  The rest of my Sunday will be in mass production :)



Wishing you a great day ahead!
Love,
Sam